‘Sail on, Pope Francis’: Whoopi Goldberg remembers her friendship with the late pontiff

Whoopi Goldberg is one of the many famous personalities who have paid tribute to the late Pope Francis on social media. The Pope passed away at 88 on April 21, 2025, leaving behind a historical legacy.

Pope Francis had been struggling with health issues lately. However, the reason behind his passing has not yet been announced publicly. He held the position of the head of the Catholic Church for over a decade.

Soon after Cardinal Kevin Farrell announced the news of the Pope's demise in a broadcast by Vatican media, Whoopi Goldberg shared a picture of herself with the Pope on Instagram. She reminisced about their friendship in the caption, as she wrote:

"He was the closest in a long time that seemed to remember that Christ’s love enveloped believer and none believer. He felt more like Pope John the 23rd who made belief real. Sail on Pope Frances with your love of humanity & Laughter"

According to a Salon article published on October 17, 2023, when Goldberg met the Pope for the first time, she brought him some Sister Act memorabilia, which he had personally asked for. She said that her meeting with the Catholic leader was an "extraordinary experience".

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Whoopi Goldberg agreed with Pope Francis' views about welcoming everyone

Pope Francis had been vocal about his support for the LGBTQ+ community. He also openly criticized unchecked capitalism, consumerism, and overdevelopment, and prioritized action on the climate crisis. In his last public statement on Easter, the late Pope appealed for peace in Gaza and called for a ceasefire.

While some people agreed with his views, others did not. However, that did not deter the Pope.

In an interview on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on May 9, 2024, Whoopi Goldberg said that she agreed with the Pope's stance on being welcoming to everyone.

"He's annoyed a lot of people because he said some things people don't think are correct, but I do. Because, you know, you're the pope. You say, 'Listen, we welcome everybody. We want everybody at our party. We want everybody. We don't — you know, we're not going to judge you. Only God judges you."

Goldberg also stated that Pope Francis seemed to be a bit of a fan of 1992's Sister Act. When Fallon jokingly asked if the Pope asked for a cameo in Sister Act 3, the EGOT winner revealed that he had not, but she offered him one. At the time, the Pope told her that he would have to "see what his time was like."

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Whoopi Goldberg was one of the 100 comedians Pope Francis invited for a meeting in 2024

According to an article published by Associated Press on June 15, 2024, The Color Purple star was one of the 100 comedians Pope Francis had invited to the Vatican.

Of her meeting with the Pope, who individually greeted every comedian after delivering his speech, Whoopi Goldberg said:

"It was great, it was very fast and really loving, and made me happy."

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Goldberg gained prominence in the early 1980s for her one-woman show, The Spook Show. The show was transferred to Broadway under the title Whoopi Goldberg. The show was taped and broadcast by HBO.

It earned Goldberg the Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album, which made her the first Black female comedian to achieve this feat. She went on to establish herself as one of the prominent actors and comedians in Hollywood.